


A Lesson In Civility

by AdelenMontgomery



Series: If Only [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Blood, Dissociation, Gunshot Wounds, Kidnapping, Murder, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Parent-Child Relationship, Politics, Sokovia Accords, United Nations, Winter Soldier Trial, Xavier Institute, but kinda, kinda sorta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-10 19:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8930953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdelenMontgomery/pseuds/AdelenMontgomery
Summary: “Sometimes I regret pulling you into politics,” Tony said, eyes narrowed.“Believe me, I was like this before we met. I just got better at the game,” she smirked. Pulls from both the MCU and the comics leading up to and during Civil War, plus some of my own ideas.Violence tags for the final chapter only.





	1. Prologue

Somehow, moving away from the Avengers and back out to the Midwest was the best and worst decision Miranda had ever made. She came to this conclusion after living there for about four months.

It was great because she had a big yard, a house with plenty of guest rooms, and nobody was shoving a camera in her face or Ben’s. They could lead a normal life, and they were. Miranda signed up for Parent & Toddler classes so she could meet other parents and Ben could make friends. She went jogging every morning. She had video sessions with Dr. Arzt every Thursday, and live sessions every other month. A piece of SHIELD tech hid her branding scar, and she no longer always wore long sleeves. 

It was the worst decision she ever made because everyone here knew her as Andrea Grayson, and she had to fly back to New York every other month to see Dr. Arzt since there was no one out here qualified to treat her. She flew into DC a couple of times for Polaris, though most of her efforts were remote (online) activism. And she flew back a couple more times for different parties and events that she “had to attend as an associate of the Avengers” according to Tony. She didn’t mind seeing everyone, even with Bruce still being AWOL and Thor off in Asgard, since they were all good friends, (and she and Wanda had a surprisingly deep understanding of each other) but it was tiring to fly back and forth so much. It had only been four months and she was starting to feel like she spent more time away from her house than she spent in it. She was trying to build a normal life after all. 

So, so far it wasn’t working. Not really. And then Tony showed up in her driveway with an excuse to move back East...

“I hope you haven’t been out here long,” Miranda said, taking off her gloves to fish to house key out of her pocket.

“How do you run in this weather? I can see my breath,” Tony complained, leaning against his car. It was surprisingly nondescript.

“Running keeps me warm,” she said, tossing the key to him as she unbuckled Ben from the running stroller. As soon as he was free he waddled over to Tony.

“Uncle Towny!”

“Hey, sport,” Tony said, picking him up. “You tell no one,” he told Miranda when he saw her smirk.

“Scouts honor,” she said, crossing her heart. “Take him inside, I’ll be in after I put the stroller in the garage.” 

Miranda left her shoes by the door and padded stocking foot to the kitchen, where she heard Tony and Ben having as much of a conversation as one can have with a toddler. Smiling to herself, she started a pot of coffee. Ben’s coat and whatnot remained a pile on the counter for the time being.

“What’s the surprise visit for?” she asked. “Need to get away from Washington already?”

“So you heard about that.”

“Well, Mr. Secretary, it’s almost like they put it on the news or something.” Tony chuckled. “Secretary of Defense. That’s a big job.”

“I’m not sure I was the best choice.”

“President Ellis seems to think differently. But Sokovia is still weighing on your mind, isn’t it.” Tony stared at his hands, her expression was too soft.

“It was my fault. Like you said, I created Ultron.”

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Miranda sighed.

“Pepper agreed with you.”

“Doesn’t mean I was right. Look. Tony, if anything, I think it makes you… more qualified, I guess.”

“How on earth does it do that?”

“Same way I’m a great ambassador for Polaris. Our experiences teach us things. And yeah, you screwed up, but I’ve been watching the news. The charity you made —”

“Was Pepper’s idea.”

“— is helping Sokovia rebuild. And it brought the social and political unrest there to the forefront of the world’s mind. The Maximoffs are practically national heroes there now.”

“They’re good kids. But my weapons killed their parents.”

“Obadiah Stane pulled dirty tricks on the black market, that wasn’t your fault.”

“But —”

“No.” She glared at him until he relented.

“I knew I was coming to the right person.” Miranda’s brow furrowed. “What would you think about moving back East?”

“Why?” she asked warily.

“I miss your cooking.” Miranda laughed. “I came out here to ask you something.”

“There’s these magical do-dads called  _ phones _ that let you call people from anywhere in the world.”

“I wanted to ask you in person. I want to recommend you for the U.S. ambassador for a new United Nations committee,” Tony said all at once. Miranda blinked owlishly.

“What is the committee for?”

“Just, would you consider it?” Miranda chewed her lip, her head tilting to the side. She looked at Ben for a moment before responding. He had wandered off and started playing with his toy tool kit on the living room floor.

“How soon would we have to move?” she asked.

“The committee won’t meet ‘till next summer, so before then.” She nodded, taking a moment to pour a mug of coffee for Tony. She grabbed her water bottle. She’d have coffee later. “Thanks. So?”

“Sure. Put my name in. I… I think it’s best I move back anyway. It’s been four months and no one has said anything about Steve and I breaking up and I can’t keep flying back and forth, it’s driving me nuts. Plus one of my neighbors already thinks I’m not who I say I am, I mean, I don’t think she knows I’m  _ me _ but... “ She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have left.”

“You did what you thought was best.”

“I never expected to get paternal wisdom from you.”

“What can I say, I’m full of surprises.”


	2. A Different Kind of Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two Years Later

“Ms. Douglas? Your one o’clock is here,” Janene said, poking her head inside her office door. “Should I send them in?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Miranda said, shifting the pile of documents to the side and minimizing the ones on her monitor. She rose to shake their hands, smoothing her skirt as the door opened. “Mr. Summers, Ms. Grey, lovely to see you both again.”

“The pleasure is ours, your honor,” Jean said.

“Please, sit,” Miranda said, rounding her desk to sit in her own chair again. “I’m glad you agreed to come speak to me about this. I hope you understand that none of this leaves the room.”

“Of course,” Scott said. Jean only nodded. Miranda stared at them both for a moment (a small intimidation tactic that was automatic at this point in her career) before plucking a manila folder out of the pile on her desk.

“This is part of a UN document, and I thought that you, being the current heads of the Xavier Institute, would want to know. It specifically applies to mutants.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Scott said.

“That’s because it isn’t,” Jean said.

“No, it’s not,” Miranda agreed grimly. She opened the file and began going over it with both of them. They were barely halfway through it an hour later when Janene knocked on the door.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, ma’am, but you may want to turn on the news.”

“Thank you, Janene,” Miranda said, already turning the tv in her wall on. “Oh, dear.”

The three of them were silent as they watched the burning building in Lagos, then the King of Wakanda’s statement. By the end of the report, they were all wearing similar looks.

“We should send someone to help,” Scott said to Jean.

“No, don’t. This document is set to be ratified in a few months, I don’t want that date moved up. Let the blame rest on the Avengers for now,” Miranda advised, though the words tasted bitter in her mouth. “If this passes, the Institute will be needed more than ever, even if the X-Men can no longer operate.” The couple exchanged a glance, but agreed. “I hate to cut our meeting short, but —”

“This meeting never happened anyway,” Jean said. Miranda smiled, nodding.

“Precisely. Go back to your students. Make what preparations you can.”

“Will do,” Scott said as they got up to leave. Miranda slumped slightly in her chair after the door closed. She had a few phone calls to make now.

*****

She and Tony ended up meeting for dinner so they could discuss things. 

“I think we should let the Avengers read the Accords,” Miranda said. “Every nation in the UN is reading them in preparation for when they can actually be ratified, and they’re about to become the poster group for why the Accords are necessary.”

“Yes, but it’d be showing favoritism,” Tony said. “They already think we’re in their pockets.”

“I was never an Avenger, and you have, in effect, retired from being Iron Man. The Avengers’ free pass from liberating the world from Loki is over. They have to face the consequences.”

“That’s what the Accords are for.”

“I’d argue differently. But, that’s not why we’re here. Are you going to push for letting them read it or am I alone in this?”

“Of course I’m going to push for it!”

“Good. Hopefully together we can convince the Secretary of State.”

“Ross is stubborn, we’ll have our hands full.”

“My office has calmed some since this is apparently the final draft of the Accords before ratification.”

“I don’t like it either, but it’s better than some of the earlier drafts. By a lot.”

“I know. I still have nightmares about Project Wideawake.” Miranda chewed her lip. “I think we should get a copy for SHIELD. And the Xavier Institute as well,” she said after a moment.

“Why? It’s  _ school _ .”

“For  _ special _ students, Tony. I used a good chunk of my vacation days last year to take a few classes.” She watched as he caught on. His eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal. She sipped her wine like nothing happened.

“Then, yes, maybe they should. How are you going to convince Ross?”

“I really wish it was just our offices that made these decisions. But I’ll ask for a copy for the X-Men, that’s how.”

“The  _ X-Men _ ?”

“I know the Avengers and the X-Men don’t get along, but they deserve to know, too, Tony. Even more so because it applies to the students at the Institute. The teachers there should know what’s about to happen, so they can protect them.”

“You say that like you think there’s going to be a war or something.”

“I have to prepare for every possibility, Tony. My office is going to be held as responsible for enforcement as yours and Ross’s.”

“Sometimes I regret pulling you into politics,” Tony said, eyes narrowed.

“Believe me, I was like this before we met. I just got better at the game,” she smirked.

“Still. Anyway, it’s been awhile since we actually talked. How’s Ben doing?”

“He’s doing well. His birthday party is Saturday, you should stop by. We’re going to the Smithsonian.”

“Either that kid is really smart for a four-year-old or you’re pushing your nerdiness on him.”

“He picked it,” Miranda said, raising her hands in mock surrender. “He wanted to show his friends the exhibit about his ‘dad,” she said, raising her eyebrows momentarily. 

“He’s still calling Steve that?” Tony laughed.

“He is,” Miranda said, simultaneously amused and frustrated. “He’s almost four and he hasn’t learned,” she sighed. “Maybe he’ll grow out of it yet. But Steve doesn’t seem to mind.”

“Oh, man, I can’t believe he still does that,” Tony said, wiping away a tear.

“I’m glad our embarrassment is so funny to you.”

“I’ll never forget Steve’s face the first time Ben called him ‘dad.’ I wish I had a picture of it.”

“Well, I’m sure he’s glad you don’t,” Miranda said, the corner of her mouth threatening to turn into a smirk. “So, do you think you can stop by? Ben would be so excited if you did.”

“Maybe. Pepper is supposed to visit that weekend.”

“She’d be so put out if you brought her with,” Miranda said dryly. Tony fidgeted. “Is… everything okay between you two?”

“Yes. No. Maybe.”

“Tony.”

“Four years ago, I destroyed my suits for her because I didn’t want to lose her. But then we had to finish mopping up Hydra. And then Ultron. And then and then and then…”

“There will always be new threats, Tony. It’s not your personal responsibility to stop all of them.”

“If I don’t —”

“Then you feel like you’re gonna lose her. But if you keep going, you will.” Miranda paused. “So that’s why you put away the suits to become Secretary of Defense.”

“Basically, yeah. Middle ground.”

“You found a compromise, Tony, that’s not a bad thing. But what’s happening now?”

“I don’t know. I give her credit for sticking around, I know I’m a handful.”

“She loves you, Tony. Even when you were just an assholeish billionare, she loved you.”

“What has she told you?”

“What happens at Girls’ Night…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, waving. “I was thinking about…” He fidgeted again. Miranda frowned, setting her wine down and leaning forward. It was so rare for Tony to be visibly nervous. “I was thinking about proposing when she came to visit.”

“Oh, Tony, that’s great! That’s really exciting.” She reached across the table to squeeze his hand reassuringly.

“I’m not sure it’s a good time. SI is about to enter a merger and the Accords are looming and —”

“Tony. Stop second guessing. Between the two of you, and  _ just _ the two of you, you must think it’s a good time. And she’ll say yes, I’m sure of it. Proposing isn’t going to make you lose her.”

“How are you so damn sure about these things?”

“Remember last time Pepper visited? For the charity ball?” Tony nodded. “Well, she thought you were gonna propose at lunch the next day, you were so jittery the whole weekend.” Miranda was surprised to see Tony blush. “No.”

“Yes.”

“You did not.”

“I got nervous!” he said defensively.

“God, Tony, do both of you a favor and just ask her next weekend,” Miranda chuckled.

*****

“Hello?” Miranda answered her phone. She glanced at her clock because it  _ had  _ to be an ungodly hour (yup, 4 a.m.). “This is Ambassador Miranda Douglas speaking.”

“ _ I forget you answer like that now, _ ” Wanda said softly.

“It’s been two years, I’d of thought you knew that by now.”

“ _ You usually don’t when I call. _ ”

“It’s also usually not four o’-fucking-clock in the morning.”

“ _ I’m sorry for waking you. _ ”

“It’s fine. I said you could call when you needed to talk. What’s up?”

“ _ I keep thinking about all those people… On the news, they were saying how dangerous I am. _ ”

“You saved people, too, from what Steve told me. Got him off the ground and away from a dense area. You did what you could.”

_ “You sound just like Steve. _ ”

“Is he stealing my ideas again?” She heard Wanda chuckle softly. “It’s gonna be okay. They’ll forget about it soon enough. I mean, sometimes it seems like they forgot about Loki already, and that was a hell of a lot bigger.”

“ _ People do seem to have a short memory when it comes to disaster. And then they have the audacity to say ‘Never again,’ _ ” Wanda huffed.

“Humans are hypocritical like that sometimes. Do you still want to talk?”

“ _ I think I’ll be alright. I can find Vis if I need someone. _ ”

“Okay. Just keep the news off for now. Wait for it to blow over.”

“ _ Okay. Good night, Andy. _ ”

“Good night, Wanda.”

*****

Miranda pinched her brow in the elevator, mentally preparing herself for the rest of her day. She really, really hoped that she didn’t have any meetings that afternoon. She’d spent the morning arguing against moving up the date for the Accords. Several nations were calling for sooner ratification after Lagos.

“Janene, please tell me I don’t have anyone to see this afternoon,” she said, pausing by the secretary’s desk.

“No appointments, but a gentleman is waiting in your office for you,” she replied, almost succeeding in hiding her smirk. Miranda missed it, however, already opening her office door to politely tell the “gentleman” to fuck off.

“I’m not seeing anyone this af — Steve!” she squealed, dropping her satchel and hugging him. She practically jumped into his arms — her publicist would be mortified.

“Hey, good to see you, too.”

“What are you doing here? Why are you in DC?” she asked once her feet were back on the ground. She quickly closed the door and put her satchel where it was supposed to go.

“I wanted to visit,” he said, shrugging. “Surprise.”

“Ugh, you’re horrible,” she grinned. “You have to stay for Ben’s party Saturday now, you know.”

“And here I was just gonna pop by for lunch.” Miranda smacked his arm playfully.

“Four months and all I see of you is news clips and video chats, you better be staying ‘till Sunday,” she half-threatened. “I don’t have any appointments this afternoon.”

“Are you going to play hookie?” Steve asked in mock surprise.

“You’ve been binging ‘80s movies again, haven’t you.” Steve chuckled guiltily. “But basically, yes. I’ll have Janene just push things to Monday if anything comes up. God, this will totally make up me having to work today to Ben. I’m hugging you again,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist in a vise-grip.

 

Miranda’s driver took them to pick up Ben. Miranda went up to the door to get him, and Steve watched from the car, hidden behind the tinted glass. The kid had really shot up in the last four months — maybe an inch or so. And good god did he look like his mother.

His face lit up when he saw her, and she easily scooped him up to hug him. She spoke with the nanny for a moment before the other woman disappeared into the house and Miranda headed down the steps, Ben still on her arms. If she let go, Steve was pretty sure that Ben would still stay attached with his arms and legs wrapped around her like that. She practically had to pry him off so they could get in the car. (The driver had already put the carseat in before he picked them up.)

“Ben, if you don’t let go, you won’t get to see the surprise.”

“Surprise? For my birfday?”

“Yeah, buddy, for your birthday. It’s in the car.” He was off her like he’d been shocked. He tried to open the car door, but he wasn’t quite big enough yet. “Hold on, kiddo, let me get the door.”

“Come on, Momma, I wanna see!”

“Oh, I don’t know, you might not like it,” Miranda teased. Steve held back a laugh. Then he heard a little voice in the back of his head say  _ Get out the other side and come around behind us _ . He quickly did so while Miranda continued to tease Ben. “Yeah, now on second thought, I don’t think you’ll like it at all.”

“No, Momma, I will, I know I will!”

“Okay, if you say so,” she drawled, opening the door. Ben scrambled in only to declare:

“There’s nothing here!”

“Well, it  _ was _ in the car…” Steve said from behind Miranda. “Did you move it, Andy?” Ben almost hurt himself scrambling out of the car and practically launching himself into Steve’s arms.

“Dad!” he yelled.

“Hey, Ben,” Steve said, hugging Ben to his chest. Apparently the kid is fond of full-body hugs, since he wrapped his legs around Steve. Miranda stood off to the side, watching the scene with a smile on her face.

“Come on, Ben, let him go so we can get lunch. Your choice.”

“Hey, chin up. I‘m staying ‘til Sunday.”

“Best! Birfday! Ever!” Ben cheered. He quickly got into the car, and after sharing a smile, the two adults followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments warm my cold heart.


	3. Between the Two of Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my friend Ethan for giving me feedback on this chapter (and the series as a whole).

His gaze never stopped moving like it always did when he was in public spaces. He couldn’t turn off his survival instincts if he tried (and he’d been trying for four years). He never expected to hear a familiar voice in the marketplace. Especially since it didn’t belong there. But he’d know her voice anywhere.

“Oh, come on, they’re just plums! The suite has a fridge.”

“Ma’am, we can’t —” 

“Oh, fine, fine.” He found her at another fruit stand, gently putting a plum back down. The man next to her was definitely security. Bucky knew from his earpiece it meant other agents were nearby. She was an ambassador now, after all. And no one knew she was capable of defending herself.

She looked up  _ towards him _ and frowned. He quickly tucked himself into the shadows, not that it would do any good with her, not if she really wanted to know. Bucky hoped she didn’t, but remembered differently, what he did remember. She would look, she would know, and that would be the end of it, the end of hiding.

“Ma’am, is something wrong?”

“No, no, everything’s fine,” she replied absently, still looking towards where he had been standing moments ago. She tore her gaze away and walked off, the man following just behind her. Bucky sighed in relief and continued on his way.

Everything was fine until there was no way to get around her seeing him. Best case scenario was that they passed by each other and she didn’t look up. Worst case was she noticed and recognised him and  _ stopped _ . Bucky mentally kicked himself for putting off shopping for so long.

“Oh, sorry!” she said after bumping into him. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going,” she continued, offering a small smile in apology. She gently steadied him — but he didn’t need it, she would know that, so why would she — oh. He felt her slip a business card into his pocket.

“No harm done,” he replied, a tight smile on his face. They went their separate ways like strangers.

Once he was in his apartment, he pulled the card out of his pocket. So she  _ had  _ recognised him. Of course she had.

The front of the card was plain white with bold, black letters reading “Miranda A. Douglas” across the top, with “United States Ambassador for the United Nations” and contact information written underneath in a smaller font. The back would have been blank aside from an address and “6 p.m.” scrawled across it in black ink.

So this is what her handwriting looks like.

*****

Bucky did his best to clean up. He didn’t exactly have anything to wear to a goddamn  _ embassy _ to meet a goddamn  _ ambassador _ . 

But he was still sent straight up once he showed her card at the front desk. Security passed by like they didn’t care who he was. One guard actually looked like he looked right through him.

The door opened before he could knock.

“You’re late,” she said, a small smirk on her face. Her hair and makeup were done, but she was still in her dressing gown. She stepped aside to let him in.

“No, I’m not,” he protested.

“Semantics,” she said, waving her hand to dismiss the idea. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too. You’ve, uh, you’ve done well for yourself.”

“Yeah. I guess. Finally have a title I actually earned.” She floundered for a moment, then asked “What should I call you?”

“What?”

“I called you ‘James’, then, but you don’t think of yourself as ‘James,’ you think of yourself as ‘Bucky’ now because that’s what Steve called you but I’m not Steve so — what do you want me to call you?”

“Bucky’s fine.”

“Okay.” She visibly relaxed, but she was still tense. She had never been this tense with him, even when he had been hardly anything more than a machine. He didn’t like the distance between them. It’d only be worse with Steve, if they ever met again, and he knew it.

“Why’d you invite me here?”

“I wanted to talk to you. A public marketplace isn’t exactly a good place for that.”

“Neither is a bugged room.”

“Already took care of that,” she said, pointing to a small, sleek device on the table just inside the door. “Nobody will be able to hear anything unless they put their ear on the door, and even then —” she tapped her temple with her finger. Clean, no polish. “Do you want something to drink?” she offered, gesturing towards the crystal decanter set on another table.

“No, thank you.”

“Suit yourself. Doesn’t do me any good, but I like the taste,” she said, pouring a small amount of whiskey into one of the glasses. “Please, sit. Make yourself comfortable.”

“You can’t get drunk?”

“No, not anymore,” she said, sitting on the small couch. Bucky took the armchair across from her. She was starting to relax more, her joking nature poking through.

“Since when?” Bucky couldn’t remember a reason why she couldn’t. In fact, he remembered her getting drunk once. (Sometimes he wished he had more memories like that one, or one like that with Steve. He remembered lots of times he almost had one like that with Steve.)

“Do you remember,” she began, choosing her words carefully, “how I got sick after we went to the opera?” He nodded. “Hydra… their doctors used the opportunity to experiment on me. They used three different serums, one of which was a neo-version of the serum Dr. Erskine created.”

“The one used on Steve.”

“Yes.”

“So he can’t get drunk either?”

“No,” she said with a fond smile. There were some stories there, then. The silence stretched for a moment. “Why didn’t you go with the Avengers in Belgium four years ago?”

“A lot of reasons.”

“I can’t imagine any of them are good.”

“Yes they are.”

“No, Bucky, they aren’t. You didn’t see Steve. You have no idea what that did to him, knowing you were alive and out of reach,” Miranda said, growing heated.

“I’m sorry.”

“We missed you, Bucky. We miss you,” she said, deflating.

“I’m sorry.”

“Come back with me. Please.”

“I can’t.”

“And why not?”

_ Because I’ll taint Steve like I’ve tainted you _ , he thought.

“I can’t,” he repeated. “I just can’t.”

“That’s your decision,” she sighed. Part of him was grateful for the autonomy she always gave him, even now after all this time, but another part of him wanted her to push, to argue with him until he gave in, because he would. He just needed something that outweighed all his reasons. “But I was hoping that Ben could meet you.”

“Ben?”

“My son,” she said, with a small smile. “Benjamin James Douglas. He just turned four a month ago.” God, if that wasn’t a reason… But was it enough?

“You kept him?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you.”

“I shoulda let you decide —”

“I would’ve bleed out. I knew that then, but I didn’t care. But, love, whether it was real or not, made me listen to you.” Wait, love? As in, she loved him? Did she still? What about her and Steve?

“So you named him after me?” he teased, half-self-depreciating.

“Yeah, jackass, I did. I thought it was romantic.”

“And now?”

“I think I was young. Still romantic though.” She got up from the couch — how was she always so graceful? Steve could make art that took his breath away in the best way possible but she was living, breathing art —  and took the dress off its hanger before disappearing behind the partition to put it on. Like old times. “Help me zip?” she asked, pinching the dress together behind her back. Not like old times. No, not at all.

“Sure,” Bucky said, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. The black dress shimmered in the light, the fit highlighting her figure. It was a bit fuller than he remembered, but she was a mother now. It suited her. 

He carefully zipped the gown, not daring to let his fingers graze her skin.

“Thanks,” she said, sounding a little put out that he hadn’t accidently touched her. Maybe that part was just in Bucky’s head though. She and Steve had been together for years, if the tabloids were anything to go by. She wasn’t the type of girl that would just break up what had been nicknamed “America’s Second Family” by a journalist who thought calling the two of them and a kid that was cute.

A kid who was undeniably Miranda’s.

Oh. Ben. Son. Kid. 

Bucky was an idiot.

“So, are you gonna come back with me?” Miranda asked, sitting at the little vanity to put on her jewelry. She smiled at him in the mirror.

“I… No. Not yet.” She frowned, but this time she didn’t have any more tricks up her sleeve. She’d played her cards — Steve, Ben — and had nothing else. Bucky wasn’t gonna break up their little family unit. And it hurt less, from a distance. Steve had lost his chance with Peggy, but now, with Andy, he had something. Bucky wasn’t gonna get in the middle of that. He loved them both too much.

Huh. Both.

“You sure? Seem to be thinkin’ a lot over there, Sarge.”  _ Sarge _ .

“I’m sure.” Miranda rose, smoothing her skirt as she did so. She looked disappointed, but only marginally.

“Alright. You have my card, if you change your mind.”

“Wait, just one thing before — before you go wherever you’re going.” She waited for him to speak, her gunmetal blue eyes locked on his. “You said once, that minds — auras — feel a certain way.”

“Yeah. Yours is like warm cookies and big band music.” Her eyes softened for a moment as she spoke.

“What’s Steve’s like?” She blinked, taken slightly aback, like she hadn’t expected it.

“Sunshine, rollercoasters and fireworks,” she said. Her eyes softened again.

“And Ben?”

“Not much yet, he’s too young. But a campfire and crayons is pretty close.” Her eyes were the softest he’d seen all night. She actually looked her age for a moment, and Bucky remembered just how young she was. 

Twenty-six. She was 26 years old, same as Steve had been when Bucky shipped out. They’d felt so old then, like they were so mature. She was lightyears ahead of them. A mother, a scholar, an  _ ambassador _ . But she was still only 26.

He wanted to hold her close and protect her. (It’d work about as well as it had with Steve, he thought.) But he couldn’t go back with her, he couldn’t. He couldn’t face Steve, not after everything he’d done, everything he’d witnessed.

The blood on his hands meant he couldn’t be near Steve. But the things that he’d just stood by and let happen,  _ that  _ was why he couldn’t be near Miranda. He had had the chance to get her away, but didn’t. He could’ve intervened, but he didn’t. He could’ve taken her away, again, in Belgium, but he didn’t. (But hadn’t he been oh so close when the Avengers had showed up?)

“I’m sorry,” he said. He wasn’t sure what his face looked like, but it must’ve been pitiful. Miranda didn’t hesitate to hug him, making sure to broadcast her intent. He hugged her back. She might not care that he was a monster, but he did.

“What for?”

“Everything that’s happened to you,” he said into her hair. She was taller than pre-serum Steve had been, but not by much. Might be the heels.

“God, you and Steve were made for each other,” Miranda said, playfully hitting him as she pulled away. “I’ve lost track of how many times he’s said that to me.”

“What?”

“He feels guilty for not stopping Loki in Manhattan six years ago. I told him to stuff it ‘cause I got to meet the both of you and Ben and I wouldn’t change that for anything.” She was being so genuine it hurt. “I have to go,” she said after glancing at the clock.

“Can’t you stay a little longer?”

“I wish! But this event is important. I have to be there.”

“Then you picked a bad time for this conversation.”

“Only time I had. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“So soon?”

“You could come with,” she said, one last shot at it. He shook his head. She hugged him again, tighter this time. “I won’t tell Steve about this if you don’t want me to.”

“Thanks,” he said, squeezing back. What Steve didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bringin' in the Bucky feels already, I'm horrible lol.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Comments feed my creativity!


	4. It Was the Fourth of July

Steve realized that he really should have seen a surprise party for his birthday coming. He really should have, since it’s his centennial and all, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20. Given that, he was  _ very  _ surprised when his friends — his found family — jumped out from their hiding spots shouting “Happy birthday!”

Well, everyone but Sam, who was grinning by his side. Who evidently had planned lunch with him to get him out of the compound for a couple hours so the others could decorate.

Awhile later, everyone was laughing and talking in small groups outside. Steve was listening to Darcy and Tony debate whether Star Wars was better than Star Trek when he felt a tug on his arm. He looked down to see Ben holding up a blue-frosted cupcake.

“Momma said it’s for you!” he said. He ran off as soon as Steve took it from him and thanked him.

Steve caught Miranda’s eye from across the patio and raised the cupcake as a question. She just smiled and lifted her red-frosted cupcake in return. A toast of sorts. More an inside joke than anything, really, which made it all the better.

Steve slipped away from the little nerd debate and made his way over to Miranda. Wanda glanced up and saw him. She winked and pulled Stacy away from the table saying something about getting refills. Miranda rolled her eyes at her friends, but she was smiling and laughing anyway.

“You gonna do this every year?” he joked, taking Stacy’s spot next to her.

“At this point it’s tradition,” she smirked, tapping her cupcake against his. They both took a bite of frosting. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.”

“I can’t believe I’m dating a man who’s a century old.” She had a mischievous glint in her eye, but Steve wasn’t focusing on that.  _ Dating _ she said. No modifiers, no “fake” tacked on in front. It was probably just a slip up.

“And here I thought older men were your type,” he quipped, earning a sharp burst of laughter from her.

“Then you’re into younger women.”

“Maybe I’m just into you.”

“Oh, really?” Miranda said, leaning her chin on her hand, both flirting and challenging.

“Want me to prove it?”

“I don’t know if you can.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“You know me, I’d  _ never _ challenge  _ anyone _ ,” she drawled. Before they got any farther, the table shook slightly as a silver streak passed by, leaving behind a note on a napkin in Darcy’s handwriting.

“What’s it say?” Steve asked when Miranda tried to cover her blush by laughing.

“‘Quit eye-fucking and just bang already. Sincerely, everyone who has ever met you two,’” Miranda read, with some difficulty. Steve slid the note so he could read it, and sure enough, that’s what it said.

“Well, I see why she sent a note instead of shouting,” he said, trying to lighten — whatever had just grown between them — and failing.

“Steve,” Miranda started, fiddling with her cupcake on the table, “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Do what?”

“Fake date you.”

“Why?” he asked, trying not to sound like she’d just ripped out his heart.

“I… I think we should stop lying to ourselves about this whole thing. I mean, it’s been three years.”

“Right. We should be honest about how we feel about each other.”

“Exactly. That’s why I think we should, uh —” Steve braced himself for her proposing their breakup, though this would be much more real than when she left for the safe house — “I think we should date. For real.” She was blushing furiously now.

“Yeah, I understand if you don’t — wait, what?”

“Um, I said that we should —”

“No, no, I caught up now. Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” She shifted, trying to look confident. Steve had seen her interacting with politicians and dignitaries, and yet this was what made her have to feign confidence. “If I’m honest, I think I stopped faking about six months in.”

“I stopped by the gala,” Steve admitted.

“What?”

“Are you really that surprised?”

“Yes! We’d — we’d barely known each other four months!” Steve was the one who was pink now. “God, we’re a mess,” Miranda said, slumping back into her chair for a moment before leaning forward and shifting so that she was closer to Steve, half out of her chair. “We’re such a mess, Rogers. How’d we get this far?”

“I didn’t want to pressure you or push you away.”

“I didn’t trust myself. I didn’t think I really was in —” she cleared her throat — “until I left. That’s when I knew.”

“So what do we do now?” Steve asked. 

Miranda’s answer was cut off by “Kiss The Girl” from  _ The Little Mermaid _ being blasted over the speakers. They both turned bright red. Stacy, Darcy, and Wanda exchanged high-fives over by the music controls. Nat gave them a thumbs up.

“Well, I guess that’s one suggestion,” Miranda said, daring to make eye contact with Steve for a moment. “And I don’t think it’s a bad one,” she continued, grabbing a fistful of Steve’s shirt and pulling him in close. He hadn’t been expecting that, but then again, he hadn’t been expecting a surprise party.

He also hadn’t expected that kissing her would be like this. Even though she started it, she let him control it (not that he had any idea what he was doing). She tasted like frosting. His brain was scrambling to catalogue all the little details of it, to commit it to memory, but as sudden as it had begun, it was over.

His arms were wrapped around her. He didn’t feel like moving them.

“Finally!” Sam groaned. Miranda chuckled, leaning her forehead on his.

“Who won the betting pool?” Clint asked.

“That’s still a thing?” Steve whispered. Miranda laughed.

“I don’t remember,” Tony said. Steve tuned them out after that. He didn’t care.

“Mind if I kiss you?” he asked.

“It’d bother me greatly,” Miranda drawled, already leaning in. This time was longer, but still chaste. It left a promise for more.

“I told you they loved each other!” Ben told Lila loudly as the kids came back into the shade. “I told you!” Lila just stuck her tongue out at him.

“Lila,” Laura scolded. Lila mumbled an apology and grabbed a chunk of watermelon before running back out to the pool. Ben ran over to his mom.

“Does this mean you’re married now?” he asked. Miranda floundered for a moment before answering. All of the adults but Steve and herself were laughing.

“No, we’re — we’re not married. Why would you think that?”

“Cause Uncle Clint and Aunt Laura kiss and they’re married.”

“Kisses just mean that you love someone very much, baby, that’s all.”

“So I was right?”

“Yeah, kid, you were right,” Steve said, messing his hair. Ben giggled and turned around, looking towards where Nat and Laura were sitting.

“Does this mean it worked?” he asked. Nat raised her eyebrow, giving him a pointed look. “Oh, right, it’s secret. Shhh,” Ben said, putting his finger to his lips. He ran off to jump back in the pool, forgetting what he had gotten out for.

“Nat, what did you tell him to do?” Laura asked.

“I didn’t tell him to do anything,” Nat replied, taking a sip of her hard lemonade.

“Nat,” Miranda said, shifting around so she could look at her, “are you responsible for my son calling Steve ‘dad’?”

“Oh, no, that was all Sam.”

“Hey!” Sam protested. “Thanks for rattin’ me out.”

“You’re welcome,” Nat replied sweetly. “Ben was talking about something else,” she continued with a smirk.

“She’s got something up her sleeve,” Steve muttered. Miranda hummed in agreement. “We’ll have to be careful.”

“Oh, no,” Miranda gasped.

“What?”

“She’s gonna be so damn smug now! Goddamn it!”

“I think it’s a small price to pay.”

“And why’s that?”

“‘Cause I get to date you for real now.”

“You’re such a sap,” Miranda said, kissing his cheek. She laced her fingers through his, where they stayed for most of the rest of the day.

“Revenge is sweet,” Darcy said, plopping down into one of the other chairs.

“Revenge?” Miranda said, raising an eyebrow.

“For not telling us we were crushing on each other’s dating profiles,” Stacy said, squishing into the same chair as her girlfriend. She ended up being half in Darcy’s lap.

“Well, I’m sorry neither of you put pictures up, LightningSister and LadyLibertysbff. I can’t believe you didn’t figure it out yourselves.”

“You still coulda said something,” Stacy said.

“Now what fun would that have been?” Wanda said, as she passed by. Both Darcy and Stacy looked absolutely betrayed.

“You knew too?!” Darcy said.

“Darce,  _ everyone _ knew,” Clint said.

“I hate you all!” she groaned, leaning her head back until she couldn’t go back any farther.

“Except me, right?” Stacy teased.

“Yeah, ‘cept you. And the kids.”

“They’re so cute,” Miranda stage-whispered to Steve. Stacy almost flipped her off, but then remembered there were children so she settled for sticking her tongue out. The four of them laughed.

*****

“Okay, don’t point it at anyone and keep it over the brick once it’s lit,” Miranda instructed the kids as she handed them sparklers. Clint followed behind her with a lighter. They all nodded sagely, holding still so Clint could light them before moving the sparklers around to make shapes in the dark.

“Having trouble?” Pepper asked, kneeling next to Tony who was struggling a bit with setting up some of the fireworks several yards away from the kids. She took the flashlight from him and held it.

“Thanks.”

“No fair!” Lila protested when Wanda made pretty patterns and shapes with her magic instead of failing with a sparkler like the kids.

Ten minutes later, the sparklers were all burnt out and Wanda’s magic faded away as everyone gathered together overlooking the lawn.

“Now, this  _ should _ work,” Tony called back to the group, “but if it doesn’t, it’s Clint’s fault.”

“Hey!” Clint said. Everyone ignored him as Tony lit the fuses to begin the fireworks show.

For the next half hour, the night sky was filled with bright fountains and explosions of light. Ben and Nathaniel watched in wonder, covering their ears when it got too loud. 

Steve stood next to Miranda, watching how the light reflected in her eyes for a moment. Maybe he stared longer than he thought though, ‘cause she noticed.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said, tilting her chin up to kiss her. She smiled as they broke apart.

“A girl could get used to that,” she said, leaning into him, her arm around him. His arm draped over her shoulder.

If he let himself think about it, and he most certainly was not thinking about it, he would have wondered how he got so lucky. He would have wondered how waiting had actually paid off. He would have laughed at how stupidly stubborn they had been, wanting to keep their friendship alive, even though that friendship had already left platonicness behind at some point but hadn’t reached romantic — until now anyway.

If he let himself think about it, his memories would inevitably turn to him and Bucky because, if he thought about it, hadn’t their relationship been similar? Friends who were something more than that but at the same time they weren’t. Friends who wanted to keep that friendship no matter the cost. Well, that’s how they had been. Steve wasn’t sure what they were now. He wondered what would have happened if one of them had had the courage that Miranda did.

It’s a good thing he wasn’t thinking about any of that.

“Steve, you’re thinking really loud,” Miranda whispered. She was looking up at him, watching his face.

“I’ll try to think quieter then.”

“He loves you, too,” she said, turning to the sky again. Her head rested on his shoulder. “Always has.”

If his brain hadn’t still been reeling from the fact that they were a real couple now, he would have noticed that she used the present tense. But he didn’t. He also didn’t think to pick apart what she had said, and how she had said it so confidently, like Bucky had told her himself. (Though perhaps that’s a good thing.)

After the fireworks were over, the kids were all rounded up and sent off to bed. Ben and Nathaniel protested, saying they weren’t tired even though neither of them could keep their eyes open. Both Laura and Miranda rolled their eyes and scooped them up. Ben was out before they made it to their room.

Most of the adults (well, the couples anyway) headed to bed, too, though they were going to be getting less sleep than the kids (probably). Steve stayed outside to stargaze. He didn’t turn to see who was coming when he heard the screen door close, knowing he had guessed correctly when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

“Lots of stars tonight,” she said.

“Yeah.”

“Jane would be disappointed in us all if we didn’t point out a few constellations,” she said, moving to his side and pulling him out into the grass before dragging him down to lay on their backs. They did point out a few constellations before they just laid there in silence for awhile.

“How long are you staying?” Steve asked.

“I think we’ll leave tomorrow afternoon. I know Tony and I were probably missed in Washington today.”

“Do you want to get brunch before you leave?”

“Sure. Our first real date,” she said, finding and holding his hand. He brought it up to kiss on impulse. Miranda half-sat up, leaning over him. “We’re idiots.”

“Yeah, we are. Coulda been doing this years ago.”

“And we basically admitted to each other that we liked each other and then promptly decided not to do anything about it. We’re such dumbasses, Steve, honestly.” She rested her head on his chest. “I was dumb to think that we shouldn’t date for real.”

“You keep saying that,” Steve chuckled.

“Shut up,” she said, swatting at him.

“How about you make me?”

“There’s easier ways to get me to kiss you,” she said, but she was already shifting to kiss him. Steve found that he didn’t mind not being able to breathe if it meant he could keep kissing her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos help me pay rent :)


	5. The Sokovia Accords

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun!

Miranda and Tony hovered in the back of the conference room, choosing to sit on the edge rather than at the table with the Avengers. Miranda held back an eye roll as Ross gave some anecdote about golfing and a heart attack.

“Remind me why we let him do this again,” Miranda whispered to Tony.

“We had to.” He was right, of course. They had come to an agreement: Miranda was the only one who could brief the X-Men since she was the one who had contact with them, and Ross wasn’t about to let Tony brief the Avengers so he briefed SHIELD, leaving Ross himself to brief the Avengers.

“The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt,” Ross said. “You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives. But while a great many people see you as heroes... there are some who would prefer the word ‘vigilantes.’”

“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Natasha asked. Miranda and Tony exchanged a glance.

“How bout ‘dangerous.’ What would you call a group of US based enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose?” Steve glanced back at Miranda, but she looked away. She chewed her lip as Ross went through his little display. “New York. Sokovia. Genosha. Lagos.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Steve said.

“Mr. Secretary, make your point,” Miranda said. “No more theatrics.” A glance at Tony confirmed that he hadn’t known about the footage either.

“In the past six years you’ve operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate,” Ross said. “But we may have a solution. The Sokovia Accords.” He placed a copy on the table and began walking around it. Miranda watched as the Avengers passed around the brick that had been her life for the past two years. “Approved by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers will no longer be a private organization. Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”

“The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we’ve done that,” Steve said.

“That’s not the point,” Tony said.

“Compromise, reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground,” Ross said.

“So, there are contingencies,” Rhodey said.

“Three days from now the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords,” Ross said. Steve shot Tony and Miranda a look. Miranda cocked an eyebrow. “Talk it over.”

“And if we come to a decision you don’t like?” Natasha asked.

“Then you retire,” Ross said simply as he left.

“He’s so dramatic,” Miranda muttered. Tony chuckled, the only one who heard her.

*****

“Three days, huh,” Steve said, turning to Tony and Miranda. They all were scattered on various chairs and couches in the common area, and Steve had made a good dent in the Accords. Ross had left about an hour ago. “That’s not a lot of time.”

“No, it’s not. We pushed to brief you earlier, but Ross kept shoving the date back,” Miranda said, crossing her arms. She was leaning against the counter in the kitchen area.

“At the rate he was going, you’re lucky you heard about it at all,” Tony said. “SHIELD only got briefed last week in a joint meeting with the FBI and CIA.”

“We did what we could,” Miranda said.

“So let’s say we agree to this thing,” Sam said. “How long is it gonna be before they lojack us like a bunch of common criminals?”

“117 countries wanna sign this,” Rhodey said. “117, Sam, and you’re just like —”

“Stop it, both of you,” Miranda interrupted. “I don’t like it either, but the Accords are a necessary evil.”

“How long are you gonna play both sides?” Sam asked.

“Sam —” Steve started.

“I have an equation,” Vision spoke up.

“Oh, this’ll clear it up,” Sam said. 

“In the decade since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And in the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.”

“Are you saying it’s our fault?” Steve said.

“I’m saying there may be a causality,” Vision replied. “Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. Conflict breeds catastrophe. Oversight… oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”

“Boom,” Rhodey said quietly. Miranda shot him a look.

“You can come to your own decisions. You’ve got a copy to read, or you can come to Tony or I. I know the damn thing inside and out,” she grumbled.

“There’s no decision making process here,” Tony said. “The Avengers need to be put in check. If you can’t accept limitations, if you’re boundaryless, you’re no better than the bad guys.”

“The Accords are a middle ground,” Miranda said. “I worked hard to get it as mild as it is.”

“Forcing us to work under a panel is what you call  _ mild _ ?” Sam said. “That seems more like giving up to me.”

“Who said you’d be giving up?” Tony asked.

“We are if we’re not taking responsibility for our actions,” Steve said. “This document just shifts the blame.”

“Sorry, Steve, that — that is  _ dangerously  _ arrogant,” Rhodey said. “This is the  _ United Nations _ we’re talking about. It’s not the World Security Council, it’s not SHIELD, it’s not Hydra —” 

“No, but it’s run by people with agendas, and agendas change,” Steve interrupted.

“That’s  _ good _ ,” Tony said. “That’s why I’m here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down, stopped manufacturing. When I wasn’t protecting people anymore as Iron Man, I stepped down.”

“Tony, you  _ chose  _ to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there’s somewhere we  _ need  _ to go, and they don’t let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own,” Steve argued.

“If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done to us later,” Tony stressed. “That’s the fact. That won’t be pretty.”

“You’re saying they’ll come for me,” Wanda said, thinking of how the backlash from Lagos hadn’t fully died yet, even though it’s been almost four months.

“We would protect you,” Vision told her.

“I’d never let them hurt you,” Pietro vowed, squeezing his twin’s hand. She gave a soft smile to them both.

“Is no one going to ask if I know anything about the panel? ‘Cause I’m gonna be  _ on it _ ,” Miranda said, her words having a slight bite to them. All eyes turned to her. “It’s not a free pass, not by a long shot. There’s still some bureaucracy to get through, but…”

“If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer,” Natasha said. “We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win the public’s trust back.”

“So we just roll over and —” Sam stopped abruptly when Ben padded into view, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Why’s ev’rybody mad?” he asked in a small voice. Miranda chewed her lip for a moment before walking over and kneeling by him to look him in the eye. She spoke softly, but the others could still hear.

“You know that thing Momma’s been working on?”

“Mhm.” Ben nodded.

“We’re talking about that, and we’re all scared of what might happen.”

“Why?”

“Because, sometimes, even superheroes get scared of things they don’t know or understand. We all want to protect people, but we don’t agree on how to do that.”

“Why not?” Miranda glanced over her shoulder.

“Cause we’re all very different, so we think about things differently. Like how you like apples with peanut butter, but Daniel likes to use carrots instead. You’re both using peanut butter, and you’re dipping something in it, but that something is different.”

“Okay,” Ben said. “Can I play with Uncle Pietrow now?”

“You’ll have to ask him,” Miranda said, standing and nudging Ben in Pietro’s direction. A silver streak flew past, and Ben’s laughter echoed down the hall a moment later. Miranda smiled in their direction, shaking her head slightly. “Wanda, do you mind —”

“Not at all. I think I need some air, anyway.”

Slowly, they all dispersed to go mull things over. Tony and Miranda stayed behind.

“That went well,” Miranda drawled. She sighed, then said, “I knew this was going to drive a wedge between everyone.”

“Don’t they understand we’re trying to protect them?”

“Tony, we’ve had two years to get used to this. They haven’t even had two hours.” She paused. “Maybe… maybe if we tell them about Project Wideawake —”

` “I don’t want to pull a dirty trick like that.”

“Dirty trick? Tony, the only reason I even  _ allowed _ for the Registration Act to be in the Accords is because of it! It was propose Project Wideawake to the committee or propose the Registration Act. I didn’t have to think about it.”

“Andy, that’s exactly why you were given that ultimatum. I had to get you to decide, the President wanted things to happen faster.”

“What?”

“A fair amount of Washington thinks that you slowed the Accords down, since you shot down the first few drafts of it.”

“It was a vote and you didn’t like them either!”

“But I’m not the one on the committee!” He took a deep breath. “DeBuke’s administration was hoping that the Accords would have gone into effect last year.”

“When they finished the Raft,” Miranda said quietly. She slumped forward, leaning on the counter. “I was wondering why that hadn’t been brought before the UN yet.”

“You know why.”

“It’s in international waters, Tony. Are they seriously going to say that the Avengers can’t operate without borders but they can?”

“You studied history,” Tony said. Miranda groaned.

“I can’t ask for a delay, even using the Raft as grounds. If I  _ could  _ talk about the Raft. Damn gag agreement.”

“You could still. You’d just have to face treason charges.”

“I’ll pass on that one, thanks.” She huffed, running her hands through her hair. “God, I was so naive to think that my life would get easier after the Accords were ratified.”

“You and me both, kid. You and me both.”

*****

Later that evening, after Ben fell asleep, Miranda curled up in a chair in the common area to read for a little bit. A surprising number of historical books about Loki’s reign had already emerged, and she hadn’t been contacted for information for many of them. (She read those and laughed sometimes, sending notes to the authors and chiding them for not conducting proper research.) She hadn’t gotten very far when she heard someone sit down on the couch.

“So you finished reading it,” she said, gesturing with her chin towards the Accords in Steve’s hands.

“Yeah,” he said, putting it down on the coffee table with a soft  _ thunk _ .

“And?”

“I’m not signing.”

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t,” Miranda sighed, putting her own book aside.

“But you are.”

“I’m an enhanced mutant whose son is a demigod, Steve. I have to.”

“But you don’t want to.”

“We all have to do things we don’t like. If you’re retiring —”

“I never said that.”

“Yes, you did, when you said you wouldn’t sign. Those are your options, Steve.” She glared at him, long and hard. “Sometimes, you have to bend, otherwise you’ll break. Compromise where you can.”

“I can’t compromise, not with this.”

“That’s your decision.”

“And that’s it? You’re not gonna say anything else?”

“Why? Should I? You can make up your mind for yourself. You read the Accords, and you decided you’re not going to sign them. Isn’t that the end of it?”

“Earlier you said you worked to get it this mild. I still fail to see how this is mild.”

“You didn’t see the early drafts. I should go to bed, I have a long drive tomorrow.”

“To where?”

“Someone has to brief the X-Men,” Miranda said, getting up. “Good night, Steve,” she said, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“Good night.”

*****

Miranda took a moment to collect herself before getting out of the car. She opened the back door to get her briefcase, waving at a couple of students she recognised. 

She paused in the vestibule to check her watch. She was early, but only politely so.

“You must be Miranda Douglas,” someone said. Miranda looked up to see a blonde woman approaching.

“I am,” she said, stretching out her hand to shake hers. “And you are?”

“Emma Frost,” she replied, shaking Miranda’s hand. “Professor Xavier told me you had questions about the Hellfire Club when you first came here.”

“I did. He told me it was disbanded a long time ago, and he didn’t know much about it.”

“Then perhaps we should meet sometime to discuss it. I used to be a member,” Emma said.

“Perhaps we should. Maybe after my meeting?” Miranda said, beginning to move in the direction of the headmaster’s office. It was going to be a tight fit, but it was the easiest place to keep students away from.

“Of course. I don’t know if the professor told you, but I will be sitting in on behalf of my own school.”

“No, I don’t believe he did, but that’s alright. You have a right to know as much as he does.”

In all, it took an hour and a half to discuss the entirety of the Accords. It would have taken  _ a lot _ longer if there hadn’t been so many telepaths. Not for the first time, Miranda was grateful for being able to just share large amounts of knowledge with people telepathically. Things got done so much faster.

Present company was not much happier with the Accords than the Avengers had been, but were less divisive about it. Miranda was surprised that they weren’t angrier since the Accords called for the  _ disbandment _ of the X-Men. All the same though, she was grateful that she didn’t have to argue about that part. (She’d had her fill trying to convince the committee to put the X-Men under a panel like the Avengers. At least SHIELD was already answering for the Inhumans.) 

After leaving a copy behind for the professors, Miranda went for a walk around the grounds with Emma Frost to discuss the Hellfire Club.

“Why, may I ask, are you so interested in the Hellfire Club?” Emma asked after telling Miranda most of what she remembered (there are some secrets that must remain such, after all).

“I have… ties to it that I didn’t know about. In the early 80s, they dabbled in genetic experiments, which Hydra got their hands on in the later part of the decade and —”

“You’re one of them?” Emma asked, stopping in her tracks. Already a pace ahead, Miranda had to turn around to look at the older woman. 

“One of the experiments, yes. The file we found only listed initials of my biological parents. I had hoped to find out who they are, just so I don’t have any more surprises hidden in my genes that might affect my son.”

“What were the initials?”

“E.F. and J.W.”

“Oh my, I always wondered when that would come back to bite me.”

“You’re E.F.,” Miranda said, nodding as she put it together.

“Yes. I was young, and the message that the Club had was enticing. Mutants were only just beginning to emerge as a group, and the kind of power that the Club was attempting to amass was a sort of beacon. I wanted a part in it.”

“I think this conversation just got a lot longer.”

“I do, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading! According to a recent study, comments keep creativity alive.


	6. And You, You Changed Everything

“Excuse me, Ms. Romanov, these need your signature,” a young woman interrupted politely. Miranda took a half step to the side to get out of her way. Nat signed and the woman thanked her before leaving.

“Lots of signing today,” Nat said.

“I just hope it’s all worth it. Thank you for coming to represent the Avengers.”

“Some one had to.”

“Your honor? The ambassador from Sokovia just arrived,” another secretary interrupted.

“Thank you. I’ll be back in a minute, Nat,” Miranda said, already following the secretary. When she came back, Nat was speaking with the prince of Wakanda.

“Ambassador Douglas, a pleasure to see you again,” T’Challa greeted.

“The pleasure is all mine, your highness. I’m surprised to see you, I thought you got your fill of politics while on the committee.”

“I thought it best to see this through to the end, even if the politics get in the way of action. Two people in a room can get more done than a hundred,” T’Challa said.

“Unless you need to move a piano,” added King T’Chakka, joining their little circle. Greetings were made as appropriate.

“Please, allow me to apologise again for what happened in Nigeria,” Nat said.

“Thank you. Thank you for agreeing to all this. I’m sad to hear Captain Rogers will not be joining us today.”

“We all are,” Miranda said, her political mask slipping for just a moment.

“ _ Can everyone please be seated _ ,” said a man over the loudspeaker. “ _ This assembly is now in session. _ ”

“That is the future calling. Such a pleasure,” T’Challa said. The women both nodded respectfully, leaving to take their seats.

The assembly began with an opening statement from King T’Chakka:

“When stolen Wakandan vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon, we in Wakanda were forced to question our legacy. Those men and women killed in Nigeria three months ago were part of a good-will mission from a country too long in the shadows.”

Miranda shifted in her seat. Something was wrong. She began flitting through as many minds as she could to find out why things suddenly felt off.

“We have not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join. I am grateful to the Avengers for supporting this initiative. Wakanda is proud to extend its hand in peace —”

“Everybody get down!” T’Challa shouted, moments before an explosion ripped through the room, sending shattered glass everywhere.

*****

“Hey, Steve, this is something you might wanna see,” Sam said. Steve looked up from his sketch to see what Sam was pointing at. The news was on the TV and… it didn’t look good.

“ _ Early reports are saying that there are 70 injured and 12 dead as the result of a bombing of the United Nations in Vienna, where the UN met today to ratify the Sokovia Accords. Authorities are advising that citizens be alert and on the lookout for the main suspect in the bombing: the infamous Winter Soldier, James Buchanan Barnes. _ ” A grainy security footage still took up the screen. The man was the spitting image of Bucky, if not the man himself.

“I haven’t heard anything from Nat or Andy yet,” Sam said.

“Good thing we decided to tag along,” Steve said, already trying to call Miranda. Straight to voicemail.

“I take it we’re going down there,” Sam said as Steve starting walking out the door. He grabbed his coat and followed.

*****

Being friends with an agent in the CIA’s International Terrorism office had its benefits. Like getting a heads up on things like what was going on. Nat was fine, just a few scratches. Miranda was being treated at a nearby hospital for her injuries (though Nat added that Miranda had insisted she was fine, so she’d be out in no time, probably from sheer stubborness).

Oh, and Bucky was in Bucharest and the CIA was getting ready to go arrest him.

Steve wasn’t waiting for the dust to settle in Vienna. He and Sam quickly left, heading for Bucharest, to Bucky.

Bucky, who would never  _ bomb  _ anything. Too noisy, too flashy. He hadn’t liked them even during the war. He was a sniper, discreet and playing in the shadows. And he never wanted to hurt anybody anyway. Miranda, in one of her rants, had accidentally revealed that Bucky had gotten drafted. He had never wanted to go. He probably only stayed because Steve asked him to. 

Bucky, who had been living in a small apartment, trying to piece back together some kind of life. He had a sleeping bag on a mattress, a jug full of kitchen utensils, and a few other personal items. He had books — science fiction novels like he used to read when they were kids. He had… a journal, full of memories and images clipped out of magazines and newspapers.

Bucky, who Steve had loved since he was sixteen against his better judgement. Bucky, who he had learned to love again, in a new century when it was more accepted.

Bucky, who needed to get out of his apartment  _ right now _ .

*****

“So you like cats.”

“Sam,” Steve said, more warning than scolding.

“What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat and you don’t wanna know more?”

“Your suit, it’s vibranium?” Steve asked T’Challa.

“The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations,” T’Challa said, “a mantel passed from warrior to warrior. Now because your friend murdered my father, I also bear the mantle of king. So I ask you, as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?”

*****

“For the record, this is what making things worse looks like,” Natasha said.

“He’s alive,” Steve said. It was a victory in his book. Albeit, a short-lived one. Bucky would be fine, but Steve wasn’t sure he’d be so lucky, not with Miranda glaring at him like that. If looks could kill, Steve was very, very dead.

She turned and watched the CC feeds on the screens, effectively ignoring them for the moment.

“Romania was not a court sanction. Colonel Rhodes is supervising clean-up,” Tony said into his phone.

“Try not to break anything while we fix this,” Nat said.

“Consequences? You bet there’ll be consequences. Obviously you can quote me on that ‘cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir,” Tony said, hanging up the phone.

“Consequences?” Steve said.

“Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted, had to give him something.”

“I’m not getting that shield back, am I?”

“Technically it’s the government’s property,” Nat said as she passed by. “Wings too.”

“Oh that’s cold,” Sam said.

“Warmer than jail,” Tony quipped as he followed Natasha.

*****

Miranda knew she had a good death glare, but she hadn’t realized that it was enough to make  _ Steve Rogers _ look a bit shameful. But now that she knew he was safe, she could focus on Bucky.

He didn’t look all that different than the last time she had seen him, physically, but his demeanour was completely different. He seemed… not defeated. Passive, maybe. Not the man she had known in Versailles, but not a weapon devoid of free will. And not quite the man she had bumped into a few months ago either. He had been so nervous then (she still wasn’t sure why).

The agents weren’t letting her speak with the psychologist that they were bringing in from Geneva, apparently worried that speaking with her would create some kind of bias. 

Bias being that she saw and knew him to be a human being, a war veteran who was perhaps the longest kept POW in history.

They saw a weapon, an assassin with extreme skill and usefulness. They wanted him to sign the Accords. It wasn’t the worst outcome — but only because that title was taken by an execution without due process (which was more likely than Miranda was comfortable with).

She sat across the conference table from Steve, boring a hole into his skull.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“I couldn’t just let them take him in. Andy, I had to try —”

“Good job,” she snapped. She took a deep breath, her shoulders sagging as she leaned forward, resting her forearms on the conference table.

“I don’t mean to make things difficult.”

“You already have, Steve.”

“If I see a situation pointed south, I can’t ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could.”

“You’re getting better, I almost believed you that time. You don’t.”

“No, I don’t,” Steve said with a small smile. “Sometimes —”

“Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth,” Tony said, stepping into the glass conference room. “But I don’t wanna see you gone. The Avengers need you, Cap.”

“So far nothing’s happened that can’t be undone,” Miranda said. “You just have to bend a little, Steve.”

“If you just sign, we can make the last 24 hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psych center instead of a Wakandan prison,” Tony said, taking a seat at the table.

“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but there would have to be safeguards,” Steve said.

“Of course,” Miranda said.

“Sure, once we put out the PR fire, these documents can be amended,” Tony said.

“I can file a motion, pull some strings here and there, and everything’ll work out. But you have to sign,” Miranda said.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Make it quick, T’Challa just filed for extradition,” Tony said.

*****

Miranda didn’t wholly trust the psychologist that they brought in. Yes, he’s from Geneva and that in itself is a good sign, but the way he was thinking about things seemed off.

Miranda stiffened, her eyes going wide for a moment. She glanced around before quickly slipping away and down to where they were holding Bucky. 

She knew she should have pushed harder to met with him. She should pulled some of her tricks.

She should have dragged him home with her when they had the chance.

She took her heels off and held them in her hand so that her approach wouldn’t be heard, deciding against the mental strain of blocking the noise from the man’s mind. She peered into the room through the small window in the door. She only caught a glimpse of what was within before the lights went out. 

*****

Today was rounding out to be a bad day, Bucky thought. A really, really bad day. First, Steve broke into his fuckng apartment. Then he was chased through the fucking streets by a guy in a cat suit and arrested for running. Well, not running. They thought he was responsible for the bombing in Vienna yesterday. Fat fuckin’ chance. Third, they brought in some schmuck to pick at his brain. He’d had enough of that in his life, thank you very much.

“I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James,” the guy said. Bucky was already sick of this guy calling him ‘James’. Nobody called him that. ‘Cept Andy. She got a pass.

“My name is Bucky.”

“Tell me, Bucky, you’ve seen a great deal, haven’t you?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” His memory was shit, sure, but there were things that he remembered that he really wished he didn’t.

“You feel that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop,” the guy said, reaching into his bag for something. “Don’t worry, we only have to talk about one.”

Then the lights went out. Bucky saw the door crack open very slowly through the darkness that was broken by the flashing red lights.

“What the hell is this?”

“Why don’t we discuss your home. Not Romania, certainly not Brooklyn, no, I mean your real home,” the man said as he pulled a book out of his bag. Bucky stared dumbstruck at the red book with its black star, the only title it was given. And those things he didn’t want to remember? Yeah, they were all coming back now. Even some he didn’t realize he remembered.

The door cracked open a little more and Bucky saw an arm reach in and set down a pair of heels. A familiar tingling sensation in the back of his head was followed by a quick  _ Pretend I’m not here _ before going away. He really wished she’d stayed in his head just a little longer so he could tell her to get the fuck out of here.

He watched as she crept in the room, sticking to the shadows as the man opened the book and approached Bucky.

“ _ Longing _ ,” he said in Russian, but the word didn’t roll off his tongue right, like the language was new to him. 

“No.”

“ _ Rusted _ .” 

“Stop.” Bucky silently pleaded with Andy to leave, he didn’t want her to see this side of him, this was worse than anything she’d seen. He wouldn’t be able to prevent himself from hurting her if that’s what he was told to do. She ignored him.

“ _ Your Russian is pretty shitty _ ,” Miranda said, lunging at the man. Bucky wondered where the hell she’d learned Russian. Had he taught her? He couldn’t remember.

She used the brief moment of surprise to snatch the book from him, the flashlight skidding across the tile when she hit it from his hand when he tried to hit her with it. She backed him against the wall, tossing the book behind her for the moment so her hands were free.

“Though I have a feeling that’s because you don’t speak Russian, do you, Colonel Zemo?” She punched him, knocking him out for the time being. She nudged his limp body with her toe, and satisfied that he was out cold, picked up the book.

“Andy…” Bucky said. She quickly moved to stand in front of him. “You’ve had more training.” 

“Yeah,” she said, almost absently. “Bucky, what the hell is this?” She held up the journal, the black star standing out from the red leather even in the low light. She turned around, eyes wide. “Someone’s coming,” she hissed, running over to the door to put her shoes back on. Bucky watched as she tucked the book in the waistband of her skirt, adjusting her blazer to hide the boxy shape.

“You aren’t going to show it to them?”

“No, of course not,” she said, shocked that he would even suggest it.

“You should.”

“I would never —” she cut herself off just as Steve and Sam came skidding into view.

“What happened here?” Steve asked. He looked back and forth between Miranda and Bucky as the pair stared at each other.

“Breach of security,” Miranda said. “I handled it.”

“And how are you going to explain that?” Steve asked, nodding towards Zemo. Miranda shrugged.

“How’d you know to come down here, Andy?” Sam said.

“I didn’t trust him so I was poking around —”

“No, no,  _ we _ know how you knew, but what are you gonna tell  _ them _ ? Your telepathy isn’t exactly common knowledge yet.”

“Fuck,” Miranda swore under her breath. “I’ll weave something believable. Pull some strings.”

“Yeah, well you better do it fast, we’ve got company,” Steve said, looking down the hall. They heard footsteps in the distance coming towards them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus we have the beginning and end of Civil War as the movie shows it lol. And now we get to the fun part where my ideas come in...  
> As always, thanks for reading!


	7. Is This Inevitable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Wars are, of course, as a rule to be avoided; but they are far better than certain kinds of peace." — Theodore Roosevelt  
> "I must study politics and war that my sons have liberty to study mathamatics and philosophy." — John Adams

Miranda was a good liar, Bucky thought. He supposed it was partially due to her telepathy — to whatever extent she was able to use it. Maybe she could bend reality or something, make whatever she was saying reasonable and logical. It would be a handy trick. But it would be dangerous.

And what had the other man said? Her telepathy wasn’t common knowledge? That made her a threat, and they didn’t even know to watch out for her.

“Yes, well it’s my understanding that you weren’t going to provide him with legal representation,” Miranda said. The agents had taken Steve and Sam away awhile ago, but she was still arguing with a short man. Bucky figured he was the man in charge.

“Why would we do that?”

“Indeed, why would you? It’d be a violation of his human rights. He’s entitled, as a  _ human being _ to a fair trial with legal representation. So I suggest you expedite that flight plan, Agent Ross.”

“I don’t think so, Ms. Douglas.”

“Then do you want to inform the UN that you’re violating human rights or shall I? I can think of six articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that you are currently violating. If you are going to continue to try him for the events in Berlin, of which you know he is innocent, you must allow for a fair trial with legal representation. And, if you are not going to try him for that, he’s free to go unless you’re going to arrest him on some other charge,” she said decisively, gesturing towards Bucky. “So let him go.”

“Not going to happen, Ms. Douglas. He’s dangerous.”

“I was under the impression that he lead a peaceful, quiet life in Bucharest until earlier today. That doesn’t sound dangerous to me.”

“There will be new charges within the hour,” Agent Ross said, turning on his heel and striding away. 

Miranda took a deep breath and looked like she wanted to punch something. Repeatedly. Bucky almost chuckled softly, remembering how often Steve had looked like that. (But Steve never had the self-restraint that she was displaying now.) Bucky watched as she skeptically glanced at the two agents assigned to watch him since the power was still out before she calmly approached him.

_ I can’t believe this. Keeping you here is a blatant human rights violation! _

_ It’s okay, I’ve been through worse. _

_ That doesn’t make it okay _ , she said, glaring at him until he conceded. _ I’ll do everything I can to get you out of here. _

_ I know. I’m not sure I’m worth all this. _

_ None of it was your fault. You didn’t have a choice. _

_ I know. But I did it. _

_ Yes, and I slept with Loki. Multiple times. _

_ You didn’t have a choice! You had to! _

_ I know. But I did it _ , she parroted back. He tore his gaze away from hers.  _ Are you gonna tell me about the book? _

_ Are you going to accept no for an answer? _

_ Under any other circumstance, I would. But if this is something that can prove that you were innocent —  _ She stopped as he shoved a few of the milder memories he had about it to the forefront of his mind so she could see them. Her eyes widened and she took a half step backwards before recovering. “Do you want to talk?” she said aloud.

“No.”

“Some other time then,” she said, nodding as she turned to leave the room. The clacking of her heels faded as she walked down the hallway.  _ Thank you. _

*****

As promised, new charges were laid against Bucky within the hour. The manila folder was a lot thicker than Miranda had hoped, but she read through the whole thing anyway. She really hoped the lawyer she planned to hire would be prepared to handle this. She really, really hoped she had picked the right lawyer.

The next morning, she was able to get Steve and Sam released on very tight restrictions. They couldn’t leave Berlin, and they had to agree to wear bracelets with tracking devices in them. Miranda asked Tony to scan them, making sure there were no listening or recording devices or anything. Only once he assured them that there weren’t any did she actually leave the CIA base with them.

Miranda pulled some strings and got a multi-bedroom suite in a hotel since the embassy wasn’t an option for Steve and Sam.

“Steve, can you please stop pacing,” she said, sinking into one of the chairs. Steve stopped, but he didn’t sit down. “I’ve found a reliable lawyer to represent Bucky.”

“He shouldn’t even be going to trial, none of it was his fault.”

“I know,” she placated, taking off her heels and rubbing her sore feet. “But he still pulled the trigger — and that has consequences,” she plowed on when he opened his mouth to interrupt. “He has to stand trial.”

“He shouldn’t have to go to trial for any of it, he’s a  _ victim _ Andy, and I feel like I’m the only one who’s seeing it.”

“I do see it, Steve,” she said, getting back to her feet and standing in front of him, “but there are legal issues here that we have to confront. After Bucky is acquitted, we can drop off the map and put this all behind us.”

“They’re not gonna let him go that easy.”

“No, they’re not. I had to twist Ross’s arm to even get him a fair trial. So don’t fuck it up and he won’t get convicted.”

“There’s still a chance he will be if he goes to trial at all.”

“That’s a chance we’ll have to take! They know that Berlin was Zemo, but there are so many Hydra files that link Bucky to dozens of high-profile assassinations, and twice as many conspiracy theories. He  _ has _ to stand trial for all of them, and it’s not going to be pretty. But we have a good defense — I’ve been looking into things and at least 12 of his basic human rights were violated while the Soviets and Hydra had him, and that should be enough to convince the jury he’s innocent.”

“You say that like you know the jury won’t find him innocent.”

“ _ He _ doesn’t think of himself as innocent, Steve! You’re the only one that blindly sees that, and normally it would be endearing, but it’s just plain pig-headed of you right now! If Nat hadn’t worked with SHIELD and the Avengers and signed the Accords, the same damn thing would be happening to her, and you know it.” Steve glared at her for a moment before dropping her gaze to stare angrily at the floor.

“So you found a lawyer.”

“Yes. He has an excellent track record and I think he’s  the most qualified for the job. I wouldn’t put this case in just anyone’s hands,” she said. 

“I know. So who is he?”

“Foggy Nelson. He’s a good lawyer. If anyone can build a solid defense for Bucky, it’s him.”

“So bring ‘im in if you’re so damn confident.”

“I’m going to call in just a bit. I haven’t had time today,” Miranda retorted. “Don’t get pissy at me for actually trying to help Bucky walk out of here a free man, Steve. You’re lucky they’re not pressing charges against you for that shit you pulled in Bucharest. The only way to beat the system is from the inside out. We’re going to trial, and we’re going to win and then you both retire and move in with me.”

“Retire? Andy, I can’t just walk away.”

“You’re not walking away, Steve, you’re stepping down. The Accords suck, but they are  _ far  _ better than the alternative. You have no idea what’s going on.”

“And what’s that? You keep sayin’ this is better, but you don’t say why!”

“The world is gearing up for a  _ war _ ! Not nations pitting themselves against each other, dragging allies in left and right, but all out war against their  _ people _ . Anyone who isn’t ‘human’ is in danger. We’re talking about millions of people, Steve. Enhanced, Inhuman, mutant, whatever else someone can be. Humanity is turning on anyone they perceive as ‘other’ except this time it isn’t race or creed or some other dumb thing that divides people, it’s genetics, it’s science.

“Things are already in motion, and the Accords are just the first wave. I know you don’t like the Registration Act, but you have  _ no idea _ what the alternatives are. But I do. I was shown the plans. They call it Project Wideawake.

“Imagine a sky full of Sentinels, except this time they aren’t there to protect people. They’re hunting people down, forcibly implanting inhibitor chips in our brains to take away our powers. The entire population has to undergo genetic testing so that any potential superhumans are under government control  _ before they’re even born _ .”

“That’d never happen,” Steve said. “We’d find a way to stop it.”

“What they hell do you think Tony and I have been trying to do? We’re both lucky we even know about it! Goddamn it, Steve, don’t you see why we want to sign so damn bad? You bend now, and they don’t hunt us all later. They don’t hunt Ben.” Miranda took a step back, her anger draining away. She sat down on the arm of the couch. “Please, Steve,” she said, tears in her eyes, “it’s come down to you. You sign, and everyone else’ll sign. We stop it before it happens.”

“Every time someone tries to stop a war before it happens, innocent people die. Every time.”

“You’re free to make your own decisions, Steve,” she said, getting up. “I’ll give you that much.” Wiping a stray tear away she shoved her feet back into her shoes and left without another word. Steve felt torn.

*****

Miranda met Foggy Nelson at the airport two days later.

“Welcome to Berlin, Mr. Nelson,” she greeted, shaking his hand.

“Thank you for the opportunity, your honor.” Miranda smiled politely and they got into a car that took them to the embassy that had suddenly become Miranda’s homebase. 

The day before, Pepper had flown over to support Tony. (Miranda had a feeling their wedding date was going to be pushed back, even though they didn’t have an official date set yet.)

She took Foggy up to an office that she’d been given for the time being to begin discussing strategy. (Only after Foggy refused her offer to let him rest a half dozen times. He insisted that he wanted to start as soon as possible, since the prosecution had at least a three day lead.) Miranda handed over the manila folder full of charges, all the evidence she could get her hands on, and a small list of ideas she had for the defense. Then she left him to it.

*****

Pepper and Miranda met for dinner. Miranda hoped it would be a nice breather since she couldn’t help Foggy much and Steve was still being a stubborn ass. Why couldn’t he just realize that sometimes you have to lose a battle to win the war? Acceptable losses and all that jazz.

“You seem tense,” Pepper said.

“Thanks for flying out,” Miranda said. “I appreciate it probably as much as Tony does.”

“Someone has to remind him to sleep. He can ignore Friday. What about you? Have you been getting enough sleep?”

“I’m fine, Pepper, really. There’s just a lot on my plate right now.”

“You don’t have to carry the weight of the world’s problems alone.”

“How many times have you said that to Tony?” Miranda retorted.

“Andy, you know if you don’t talk to me I’m not above calling Stacy,” Pepper said casually. Miranda glared at her.

“Fine. No, I haven’t been sleeping much this week, but that’s just because this is a hell week. I thought the Accords were gonna be the biggest thing this  _ month _ but now it’s like everything is happening all at once.”

“That happens sometimes.”

“Question: how did you stop yourself from punching Tony in the face when he was being an idiot? Because I’m starting to lose my patience with Steve.”

“I took it day by day,” Pepper laughed. “He still won’t sign?”

“He’s still ‘thinking it over’. Honestly, Pepper, it’s like he doesn’t understand that there are some fights you just have to walk away from.”

“That seems like him, though, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, but it’s infuriating. He’s gonna get himself killed.”

“I hope you’re exaggerating. And unfortunately, I can’t think of anything pithy to say to help.”

“You get points for trying though,” Miranda said with a small smile.

*****

“I don’t think you understood, Agent Ross. Sergeant Barnes is being moved to a facility in the States to await his trial. You don’t have any say in it, I’ve already made arrangements,” Miranda said. “Goodbye. Perhaps we’ll meet next time I’m in Germany,” she continued, her voice sweet, but there was still the undercurrent that made it clear she never wanted to see him again.

She walked over to Bucky, who was just stepping out of the box that they put him in. He could tell she wanted to dismiss the agents escorting him, but they both knew she couldn’t just yet.

“This way,” she directed, leading them to a car parked just inside the massive garage. “Thank you, agents, you’re dismissed.” She held open the door with a small smile, letting Bucky get in before she did.

“You have a lot tricks up your sleeve,” he said as they left the garage. Miranda slid the divider up between them and the driver.

“Just one of my many likeable qualities.”

“I never asked, how did you get to be ambassador?”

“I was put on the Accords committee while Ellis was still in office. Couple months later the former ambassador stepped down. He put me in and President DeBuke kept me there. Everyone seems to think I know what I’m doing.” She paused. “I really hope I do.”

“You always seemed to before.”

“That was a long time ago.” They sat in silence for awhile.

Their driver took them to the airport, where they met Sam, Steve, and Foggy. Nat had already left a few days ago, and Tony and Pepper had left earlier that morning. Miranda made the introductions before they got on the plane.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, pulling a beat-up backpack out from behind one of the seats. “I pulled some strings and got this back for you.” She handed it to Bucky. “It should have everything in it.”

“Thank you,” he said, almost reverently.

“What kinda strings did you pull?” Sam asked.

“I didn’t get your suits back, if that’s what you’re asking. They’re in lock-up yet, and I swear to god, if you so much as  _ think _ about stealing them back, I will murder you.” Bucky wasn’t completely sure she wasn’t joking, and by the looks of it, neither were Steve and Sam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so international laws are really complicated (well, laws in general are) and I'm no lawyer. So, it's taking me awhile to figure out how exactly Bucky's trial is gonna go, and therefore updates are going to slow for awhile on top of the impending slow down that will occur when school starts back up again for me (Jan. 9). I apologize for the delays, and thank you for your patience. I want to get these chapters nice and polished for y'all!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! Your support means a lot.


	8. A Hero's Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would ya look at that? I updated!  
> Disclaimer: Laws and court proceedings are difficult, and I have no experience in how this all works. I tried my best, but that does not mean this is an accurate representation of how American trials work out.

“I just don’t understand why she didn’t say something sooner,” Steve said after he explained to Sam why he and Miranda were fighting — Sam’s words, not his.

“Dude, if you haven’t noticed, she’s protective. She didn’t even tell you she’d met Barnes because she thought he was dead, why would she bring up a plan that’s not going to happen?”

“Then why mention it at all?”

“‘Cause you’re being stubborn and she sees a much bigger picture than you or I can even imagine, Steve, that’s why. She’s making her decision with the knowledge of what  _ may _ come, you’re only looking at what  _ will _ .”

“I take you’ve changed your mind then.”

“Hey, I don’t like the idea of it any more than you do, but sometimes you have to lose a battle to win the war. Or prevent it from getting out of hand, in this case,” Sam said, finishing up stretching. It wasn’t exactly the answer Steve wanted.

Unfortunately Nat had the same one.

“She’s just trying to protect people, Steve. Evidently that’s by withholding information until she has no other recourse but to share it. That and I’m pretty sure she shared a government secret,” she added after a pause, smirking. “I know you wanna fight it, for justice and all that, but the world doesn’t work that way. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how it is. This isn’t the time to fight. Concessions have to be made. Sometimes the only way to win is to let the other side think they won.”

******

Miranda didn’t even look up when Steve came into the kitchen. Sure, they were fighting, but that was in their personal lives. Publicly, they had to pretend things were okay  — and that meant Steve staying at Miranda’s house for the duration of Bucky’s trial.

The news was on in the background and she was reading the paper while drinking her coffee. Steve poured himself a cup to give him something to do.

“I thought the general assembly was meeting today,” he said.

“It is, but the Secretary of State wanted to go. I found out late last night. I guess they think I won’t actually sign or something.”

“I, uh, made a decision,” he said. She finally looked up at him.

“About?”

“The Accords. I’ll sign.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I am,” Steve said, nodding. She nodded sharply once.

“Good. Thank you. It took you long enough to decide,” she teased, thinking about the past two weeks. “They’re being ratified today, after all. Go into effect October fifteenth here in the States.”

“Well, for once I didn’t make a rash decision,” he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She leaned back into him and Steve’s heart finally relaxed. She still liked him this way.

“Look at you, growin’ up so fast.” She dramatically wiped a fake tear away. “I’m so proud.”

“Anything exciting in the paper?”

“Nope. The only interesting article is this one. It’s building hype for Bucky’s trial.”

“Is there a set date yet?”

“Opening statements are October first.”

“‘Trial of the Millennium,’” Steve read. “Are they really calling it that?”

“Apparently. The title of ‘Trial of the Century’ was taken by the Frank Castle trial few years back, so they had to come up with something clever.”

“I’m sorry I was being an ass,” he murmured into her hair. She reached up to pat his head.

“I forgive you. You had your reasons, and they’re good ones, but…”

“The world doesn’t work that way, I know.”

“I wish it did.”

“Me too.”

*****

Steve kept Ben distracted while Miranda was on the phone.

“No, of course it’ll have to be public; I expected as much…. I was hoping we could do it at the same time. Solidarity and playing on the ‘Second Family’ image…. As soon as possible I think is best, don’t you?... I think that will work just fine. Now, as for Sergeant Barnes’ trial —… No, I plan to be there as much as possible…. I realize that, but he’s my friend…. Yes, I understand I can’t neglect my duties.” She sighed. “I’ll figure something out. But I  _ will  _ be there.” She hung up and rubbed her face before coming over and plopping down by Steve and Ben.

“I take it you won’t be allowed to go to the trial.”

“No, but I sort of expected it, if I’m honest. We’re signing on the eighteenth, together. There will be a lot of press.”

“Isn’t that the point?” Steve said, taking the offered Lego from Ben.

“Momma, does that mean you have to tell people about your powers?” Ben asked.

“Yes, baby, it does.”

“I don’t want them to know.”

“Why not?”

“They are gonna be mad.”

“I know, but I have to tell them so that other people can be safe.”

“But you won’t be safe!” Ben protested, throwing a Lego down in anger.

“Ben, don’t throw things,” Miranda chided. “I will be fine,” she told him, very seriously.

“No, you won’t!” Ben said, getting to his feet and balling his fists. “They are gonna hurt you!” He was shouting now. Miranda was torn between scolding him for his tone and trying to assuage his fears. She went with the latter.

“What do you think is gonna happen?”

“They’re gonna come for you and make you normal. And then they’re gonna take me away.” Miranda stilled. That was the basis of her nightmares about Project Wideawake.

“Baby, that’s not gonna happen, okay? I’m not gonna let anyone take you away.” She gently reached out to him, pulling him into a hug. Even as she soothed him, her own worries were growing.

Either he had inherited her talent for stealing dreams, or they just had very similar nightmares. Miranda hoped they just had similar nightmares. She didn’t want Ben to have to deal with all the things her mind had stolen.

In any case, this meant that he might have a similar set of powers to her own. She hadn’t been expecting that, not until she began talking to Emma Frost. She had been expecting to have to watch out for signs that he was like his father. She had been expecting that she would have to protect him from an angry, fearful world because of who his father was, not because of who his mother is.

Pulling Ben into her lap, Miranda looked at Steve. She saw her own worry reflected back, but to a lesser degree. She squeezed Ben a little tighter.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised.

*****

They were able to pull some strings and met with Bucky the day before opening statements. Steve and Foggy just hung back along the wall to let Miranda go to work.

Miranda began unloading her bag onto the table as soon as she walked in. She pulled out a pair a hair scissors, an electric razor set, hair gel, a set of combs, a spray bottle, and finally a hair cape.

“Sit,” she said, pointing the scissors first as Bucky then the chair. When he hesitated, she repeated herself with more force. He sat. 

“So what’s this all about?” he asked. 

“What’s it look like? I’m giving you a haircut,” she replied, opening the hair cape and wrapping it around him. 

“What? Steve, did you know about this?”

“No, but,” Steve shrugged, “good luck tryin’ to stop her.”

“Andy, doll, I don’t need a haircut.”

“Calm the fuck down, Barnes. It’ll grow back. After the trial you can grow it out past your ass if you want, but for now you need to look respectable and not like a sad fucking trash hobo. Until this is over, I’m in charge of how you look. Got it?”

“I don’t look like a trash hobo. And how come he gets to keep his hair?” he protested, pointing at Foggy.

“He’s a renowned lawyer and you are on trial of treason. People are gonna like you a fuckton more if you look like the Sergeant Barnes everybody knows from their history books. Now stay still and let me save you,” she ordered, adjusting his head so that he was looking straight forward and went to work. For the next few minutes there was nothing but the quiet  _ snip snip  _ of the scissors and then the whirr of the electric razor. When she was done cleaning up she handed him a shaving kit. “If you don’t shave before everyday you go to court, I will murder you myself.”

“Understood,” Bucky said, taking the kit from her.

“And wear this,” she said, shoving a suit into his chest. “I hope I got your measurements right.” She nodded to herself, and left the hair gel on the table for him.

“Why are you doing all this?”

“Because this trial is the gateway to the rest of your future. Dozens of nations are chomping at the bit to press charges against you. Just because the United States doesn’t call assassination a crime doesn’t mean it isn’t in other nations. The only reason no one is charging you with anything is because this trial is to see if you are guilty of treason against the United States, and if you are, that means you were complicit in your actions and a good portion of the world is ready to accuse the Winter Soldier for every unsolved or mysterious death that has happened in their country since 1945. You listen to me and you don’t alternate between courtrooms and jail cells for the rest of your life.”

“Oh is that all?” he drawled. Miranda rolled her eyes.

“And I owe you. See you tomorrow,” she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving the room.

“Is she always like that?” Foggy asked, a little awed.

“She wrapped Loki around her finger, what do you think?” Bucky said.

*****

Bucky wasn’t used to wearing a suit, let alone a damn  _ three piece _ but Andy had given him the suit in good will to save his ass. He decided to set that part of it aside and go for following her “orders” to the letter. So he shaved and put the suit on before opening statements. Andy and Steve were in the courtroom when he was brought in, and Andy gave him a small, supportive smile. He could tell there was still tension between her and Steve. He didn’t want to pry, but all the same he wanted to know what was wrong — because they were clearly trying to pretend nothing was wrong. (But he’d known Steve forever, knew all his tics, and Andy’s had been so easy to pick up on. It wasn’t difficult to notice that there was something off between the pair.)

The opening statements started straight away, with the prosecution leading. Oh good, a chance to learn what people think of him.

“Good morning, my name is Richard Conley, and I am the prosecutor in this case. It is my pleasure to represent the United States. Over the past 50 years, the defendant in this case has committed multiple acts that all build to the same charge: treason. The defendant is responsible for countless assassinations and an unknown number of other terrorist acts, including the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. At the conclusion of the case we will ask for a verdict of guilty,” the lawyer said, pacing a bit in front of the jurors. 

Bucky didn’t have to glance over his shoulder to know that the two behind him were wearing similar expressions that would be summed up as “fight me” or perhaps “fuck you, sir.” Maybe both.He tried to pay attention to the opening statements. He should know what’s going on since it’s his trial after all, but it was hard to keep his thoughts in line.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this case is about a man who betrayed his country and his friends to aid the terrorist Nazi organization, Hydra,” he continued. Well that just about sums it up, now doesn’t it? (Hint: the answer is yes.)

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the prosecution will call two witnesses to the stand. We will call former agent Natasha Romanov to the stand,” Mr. Conley said, “who will testify that she encountered the defendant multiple times, and each time he was fully competent and responsible for his actions.” Bucky tried to attach a face to the name, but he had nothing that seemed right. A flash of red hair and slightly bloody pointe shoes weren’t enough to go by. “We will also call forward former secretary Alexander Pierce, who will explain that the defendant was a willing participant and fully cognizant throughout the duration of his partnership with Hydra.”

Bucky froze, growing pale and shrinking into himself. He glanced over his shoulder at Andy, who looked downright  _ murderous _ . A tiny voice in the back of his head brought forward the tiny hope that maybe, since she looks like that, Pierce won’t make it to the stand. But the rational part of him quickly squashed it. If Pierce was testifying, he was under protection. Andy wouldn’t be able to get near him. (But what if she did?)

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Conley plowed on, “the defense may argue that the defendant was not cognizant, nor was he a willing participant in any of his actions for the last 50 years. They may argue that the defendant is a victim rather than a perpetrator. In the duration of this trial, we will prove that this is not true. At the conclusion of this case, we would ask you to find the defendant guilty and that the defense has not met the burden of proof to the contrary. Thank you.” 

As Conley sat down, Foggy rose from his chair, beginning his own opening statement. Bucky knew the angle they were playing, so he focused more on the jurors reactions. Andy told him that he was remembered as a hero once, that he was revered and honored by many. Time to see if she was telling him the truth.

“Good morning, my name is Foggy Nelson, and it is my pleasure to represent Mr. Barnes on this very important case. My client has been falsely accused of an egregious crime, treason. At the conclusion of the case, we will ask for a verdict of not guilty.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this case is about a person who was a war hero, a POW in fact, who was tortured, brainwashed, and coerced into committing acts that are collectively called treasonous after any trace of free will and autonomy had been stripped away from him.” A few jurors stirred, stealing glances at him as they tried to reconcile the hero they knew with the man sitting a few feet away from him. It probably didn’t help that Captain fucking America was sitting just behind him though.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” Foggy continued, “the prosecution will argue that my client was complicit in his actions and a willing participant. However, nothing could be further from the truth. My client was robbed of his mind and body for 50 years, and had no agency during that time.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the defense will call two witnesses to the stand. First will be Ambassador Douglas, who will testify that when she first met the defendant he had no memory of who he was, and that it was a process over a series of weeks to reteach him his own humanity. 

“Secondly we will call Sergeant Barnes’ childhood best friend, a man who knows the defendant better, perhaps, than he knows himself. Captain Rogers’ testimony will reveal that what the defendant is accused of is extremely out of character, as Sergeant Barnes is of honest and loyal character. 

“At the conclusion of the case we would ask you to find that my client is innocent. The state has not met its burden of proof, and we would ask for a verdict of not guilty. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Only a little more lawyering next chapter and then I can leave the legal jargon behind!  
> Thanks for reading! Feel free to point out any glaring errors.


	9. The Price of Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The price of freedom is high, but it's a price I'm willing to pay." - Steve Rogers, CA:TWS
> 
> Hoohoo, that was a quick update. Anyway, quick series of warnings for this chapter:
> 
> **CHAPTER WARNINGS **  
> nongraphic description of murder  
>  gunshot  
> graphic descriptions of blood  
> hospital/surgery  
> kidnapping (2x)****

When you’ve been doing your job for years, no matter how dangerous it is, you inevitably get lulled into some sense of security as a result of the monotony. It’s a curious thing, but all the same, Charlotte had found it to be true. And dangerous.

That part she learned when she was not-so-kindly yanked into an alleyway and shoved against the wall, a hand going to cover her mouth. Charlotte looked down at her attacker, ready to bite down on their hand and realised that they were a young woman with a clean black bob and eyes nearly as dark, who was only shorter than her because of her heels.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” the woman said. “I’m not going to give you to anyone that will hurt you. I want to help you. Now, I’m going to remove my hand, and you’re not going to scream or run off, got it?” Charlotte nodded. Something about this woman made her trust her.

She removed her hand slowly, then wiped it on her pants. Charlotte took in her outfit — dark jeans, a Queen t-shirt under an olive cardigan, and worn tennies — and wasn’t quite sure what to think.

“What do you want?”

“I need to borrow your identity for the night.”

“What?” Charlotte sputtered, alarmed.

“Listen, I know you’re an escort, and your client tonight is someone I’d very much like to speak with. You’ll still get the money, but I need to get close to him.” Charlotte decided not to question how this woman had discovered all this. And, really, getting a paycheck without ever having to deal with a John sounded… nice.

“They already saw a photo of me, and honey, you don’t look anything like me,” Charlotte said, tossing her blonde curls over her shoulder.

“That’s not a problem if you let me take a picture of you.”

“Alright,” she said, posing for her. The woman snapped a quick series of photos before typing something out and stowing her phone back in her pocket.

“Thank you. You’ll still get your paycheck from your client, and you’ll find there is an additional five grand in your account. That’s for this, provided you never breathe a word of it.”

“Done,” Charlotte agreed. The woman nodded, then stepped aside to let her leave. Charlotte headed back to her apartment without a second thought, and put the whole thing behind her.

*****

Miranda effortlessly traded one wig for another, the facial recognition program for the mask switching to the new one in a blink. Getting into the skin-tight dress was significantly more difficult, and a bit ridiculous.

“Jesus fuck,” she swore, sucking her her chest to try and get the damn thing to zip.

Unfortunately the heels were worse. Easy enough to put on, but lord almighty, Miranda was sure she was going to fall on her face and ruin it all. She only had the one chance, after all.

She got through the security detail easy enough, and one of the hired agents escorted her into the suite. She gave him a wink as he left, playing her part convincingly.

And she kept it up for awhile, right until he put a hand on her knee. Her sweet smile disappeared, her girlish giggle was cut off, and she shoved his hand off her. He barely had a moment to look confused or angry or both before his jaw went slack and he fell out of his chair. She knelt next to him and whispered in his ear:

“I win.” Then she screamed, drawing the attention of the security, who burst in. She babbled hysterically. “He-he just fell out of his chair and started shaking, I-I didn’t touch him, I swear —” An agent cut her off and forcibly removed her, handing her a wad of cash to stay quiet about what she’d seen before shoving her out a back door into an alley behind the hotel.

Miranda adjusted her dress as best she could and carried her heels back to the van, where she changed back into herself.

*****

The newspaper hit the table with a loud  _ fwap _ . Steve glared at Miranda, who looked up at him passively.

“I thought you wanted to play by the book.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bull _ shit _ , Andy,” he said, leaning forward on his hands. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“So you had nothing to do with Pierce suddenly have a stroke.”

“He’s old, it was bound to happen at anytime.”

“And it just conveniently happened at a time that it would derail the prosecution.”

“The timing really sucks for them, doesn’t it?”

“So you’re saying you didn’t have a hand in this?”

“I never said that.”

“So you did.”

“I never said that either.”

“You sound like Nat.”

“She taught me a lot more than hand-to-hand.” The pair stared at each other for a moment, but were interrupted by the phone ringing. Miranda casually got up and answered it. “That was Foggy,” she said as she came back into the room. “Prosecution decided to drop the case rather than scramble to find a replacement witness. Bucky will be released by Friday.”

“What kinda game are you playing?”

“I’m not playing a game. Games are fun, and this is anything but.”

“How are you so calm? You killed a man three days ago in cold blood.”

“A man I would have gladly killed years ago if I’d been given the chance. You have no idea what kind of man he was, Steve. It’s better this way.”

“How? How is this better?”

“He died of a stroke before he could give an incriminating and twisted testimony that would surely have landed Bucky a death sentence. The world is down a Nazi, and has gained a hero back. I’d say the scale is balanced. Now, if you’d excuse me, I’m late for work.”

*****

“Thank you for doing this, Clint,” Miranda said, stacking the last duffel in the back of his van. The night was still and clear, their breaths creating little white puffs. It was a bit colder than was seasonable, perhaps. But it was also late night.

“It’s not a problem, kid. Laura and I know how you feel,” he said, closing the trunk. “We’re lucky nobody knows about the kids, otherwise we’d be in the same spot.”

“I just want to make sure he’s safe. I didn’t know what else to do.” Clint nodded and pulled her into a hug. Then the pair headed inside. 

Clint waited in the hall while Miranda got Ben from his room. She helped the half-asleep preschooler into his coat before picking him up to carry him outside and buckle him into the carseat. Clint thought he heard her humming a song to Ben, but it was too soft for him to hear well.

Miranda waved from the front porch until they left the driveway and she could no longer see them. Wiping tears from her cheeks, she went back inside, out of the cold.

*****

Morning came, and with it, the beginning of what would be a long day. By nine, Steve and Miranda were standing in a conference room of sorts, surrounded by officials and reporters as they officially signed the Sokovia Accords, and publicly vowed to abide by them.

What was supposed to be a brief press conference turned into something that lasted nearly two hours, but they finally made it outside the courthouse. More reporters were crowded at the base of the steps, held back by a few police officers.

Out of habit and without either party aware of it happening, Steve was holding Miranda’s hand. They only noticed when Miranda took her hand back to press her fingers to her temple and stopped, a few steps above Steve.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Just a sudden migraine, I think,” she said, squinting against the bright sunlight. The world had taken a strange, greenish hue at the edges.

**_BANG_ **

Miranda felt her heart drop to her feet as she scrambled towards Steve, gracelessly falling to sit on the step and applying pressure to his chest. People were screaming, and Miranda heard someone with her voice — maybe it was her — shouting for someone to call an ambulance interspersed with calming platitudes to Steve and ending in a pleading stream of words:

“Don’t you dare die on me. Please, Steve, please, you can’t die, I need you, I love you, you can’t die, you can’t —”

She pressed harder, willing the blood to say inside him, even as it made her hands red and sticky. She couldn’t see the world was too blurry —

“Ma’am, we need you to move aside,” said an EMT. She helped Miranda to her feet and down to an ambulance. She gave her a shock blanket and checked her for injuries.

Miranda watched as they picked Steve up and strapped him in, taking him to a second ambulance. It felt like she was watching something on TV or a movie, like it wasn’t happening right in front of her, but she panicked when she couldn’t see him anymore.

“Ma’am, please calm down.”

“No, no I have to see him, he shouldn’t be alone —”

“Ma’am, please,” the EMT said. “Captain Rogers will be alright. He’s in good hands.”

“You don’t understand, I have to — please, I just —” The EMT glanced at her partner, who nodded and ran off to talk to the others before coming back. He nodded again.

“Alright, ma’am, they’ll let you ride with them.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Miranda said, shrugging off the blanket and running to hop up in the back of the ambulance. Her chief of security followed.

Miranda stayed by his side, squeezing his hand until they took him into a surgery. She stood there in the middle of the hallway, hands shaking and bloody, just staring at the spot she had last seen him. She felt her chief of security approach and stand by her side.

“Ma’am, this is poor timing, but you’re expected to pick Sergeant Barnes up within the hour.”

“I can’t leave him,” she choked out.

“You’ll be back before he’s even out of surgery.”

“Can’t you just send someone else?”

“Of course, ma’am.” He nodded and left. A nurse directed her to a bathroom to wash her hands and then a waiting area to sit.

*****

She was pacing when one of her security officers brought Bucky in. She froze and felt her heart shatter a second time when she saw the look on his face. They hadn’t told him.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Shhh, shhh,” Bucky soothed, wrapping his arms around her and gently stroking her hair. After a moment, he held her at arm's’ length to look for damage. Her grey suit was stained and ruined, and her stockings were torn, but otherwise she looked fine. “What happened?”

“Som-someone shot Steve!” 

He pulled her back in and held her close. It grounded him as he felt the world crumble and fall out from under him.

Miranda didn’t say anything when she felt warm tears fall on her head, only squeezed him tighter.

Awhile later, once they had both calmed down enough to stop crying, they sat close to each other on a small couch, waiting. Steve was still in surgery, they’d been told not too long ago that it was going well and Steve was stable. They were working on removing the bullet now.

“We were going to take you to dinner,” Miranda whispered. “To celebrate.”

“We’ll have to go some other time. We  _ will _ . I’ve never known Steve to give up, not when he has something to fight for.” Miranda burrowed deeper into his side.

*****

Bucky shook her gently, waking her from the slight doze she had fallen into now that the adrenaline was gone.

“Hm?”

“Your phone’s ringing.”

“Oh.” She grabbed her phone and answered. “Nat?” Bucky could make out the other end of the conversation.

“ _ Andy? Has Clint called you? _ ”

“No.”

“ _ I haven’t heard from him since last night. He sent a text that said he was leaving your house and since then, nothing. _ ” Bucky watched Andy’s face grow impossibly paler.

“Did-did you call him?”

“ _ One better. I tracked his phone, found the van. But… they’re not here. _ ” Bucky almost didn’t catch that part, the woman on the other end said it softly. “ _ I’ve already sent a message to the others, they’ll be out here soon. _ ” Andy’s hand slowly dropped, her phone still in her grasp once it hit her lap. “ _ Andy? Are you still there? _ ”

“She’s, uh, not doing so well, I think,” Bucky said into the phone after gently taking it from her. She sat as still as a statue.

“ _ Who are you? _ ”

“Bucky.”

“ _ Ah. Well, Bucky, if you could keep her out of trouble, that would be helpful. Once the shock wears off she’ll try to come out here. Don’t let her. We’ll find Ben, Steve needs her there. _ ”

“Easier said than done.”

“ _ Oh, I know _ ,” Nat said before hanging up. Bucky could almost hear her smirk.

“I was sending him so he’d be safe,” Andy mumbled, fighting back tears. Bucky hugged her again as she let them fall.

It wasn’t fair. Bucky had blood on his hands, countless sins that could be held against him, used as a reason for the pain that he endured. But Andy, she didn’t have any of that. All she seemed to get was strife and grief and heartache, for no reason. She’d never done anything to warrant this and yet it kept coming, wave after wave.

Most would call Steve the fighty one out of the two of them, but Bucky, Bucky was the protective one. And he was ready to fight God himself if he had to to get Andy the happiness she deserved.

“Ma’am,” said a man in a suit. “I’m Agent Gregory, from the FBI. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to ask you a few questions about what happened earlier today at the courthouse.”

“Yes, of course,” she said, nodding automatically.

“Alright, right this way. It won’t take very long.”

*****

Bucky waited alone for an hour before a nurse came and told him Steve was out of surgery, and he was stable. He’d be fine. Bucky breathed a sigh of relief and followed the nurse to Steve’s room.

Steve wasn’t awake yet (nurse said it’d be a couple of hours), but Bucky didn’t care much. Andy should be the first face he sees.

He sat down in one of the chairs and watched the rise and fall of Steve’s chest, the surest sign that he was alive.

Bucky waited another hour before Andy’s chief of security poked his head in to ask where she was.

“An agent from the FBI asked for her about two hours ago.”

“What agent?”

“Gregory.”

“Agent Gregory and his team just arrived.”

*****

Bucky kinda hoped that Steve was in a coma. That would give them time to find Andy and Ben, surely. He’d never have to know that they were gone.

So of course he had to wake up that evening.

“Buck,” he croaked. Bucky was up out of his chair and by his side in a flash.

“Hey, Stevie.”

“It’s good to see you.”

“You, too, but I wish we weren’t in a hospital ‘cause some dumbass punk got himself shot.” Steve chuckled, but stopped quickly, grimacing.

“Where’s Andy?” Bucky looked away, opting to find a pattern in the tile floor instead of looking Steve in the eye. “Buck, where is she?”

“Dunno. Someone… someone took her. Ben, too.”

“Any leads?” Steve asked. Bucky recognized the “Captain America” timbre in his voice.

“No. Nothing. Both gone without a trace. The Avengers are looking. You’re staying here — no but’s, Steve,” he said firmly, talking over him. “You need to heal up. She’d clock you if you died lookin’ for her.”

“You can’t expect me to just stay here, Buck!”

“I damn well can. You think I like sitting here useless? Fuck, Steve, we should both be out there, but we can’t be. You need to heal up, and like hell I’m facing her ire for leaving you alone.”

Steve grumbled, but he stayed put. They’d leave as soon as he was able, they both knew that. But they also both know Andy would kill them both if they left a moment sooner, especially if it was for her sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry?
> 
> Part 5, "To His Coy Mistress," is coming soon.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
